Poor Boy
by VVSINGOFTHECROSS
Summary: Joffrey Baratheon in his own words.


Winterfell is cold and grey, everything in the north looks grey. Joffrey is not that impressed, from his father's stories- which yes he listened to- he had expected some great monstrosity of a castle that would make King's Landing and the Rock look terrible in comparison. Instead what he sees is a lump of falling old rock, carved into a lump of falling and breaking ground. He groans, they must spend a month here, gods be good, why? Why couldn't father just name grandfather hand and be done with it? Why did he have to bring them all the way here?

The Starks themselves are not that impressive, Eddard Stark is an old done man, his wife an old hag, his daughters nothing special, his sons nothing special and dumb. But his heir, his heir is something else. There's something about the heir, Robb his name is, that makes Joffrey pay attention. His shoulders are broad, his face has a hint of mischief in it, and Joffrey thinks that this could be something, something good.

The feast is one long boring occasion. He knows he will marry the eldest Stark girl, has known it since he was told they would be going to Winterfell. Mother seethes quietly, and acts nicely to the girl, Sansa her name is. Joffrey puts on a face, a front and acts charming though really he wants to hit her across the head and then leave her there for uncle Tyrion to do as he pleases. He spends most of the feast watching as Myrcella sits and speaks to the Stark heir, and he feels the jealousy growing inside him. It's not fair, not fair at all.

The feast ends, and the next day is a tour of Winterfell. He doesn't pay attention, he only stares at Robb, seeing the chiselled jaw, and then sharp eyes that laugh easily, and he feels something stir inside of him. Robb is so easy going, so free, loved in a way Joffrey has never been. He feels something else, he feels angry and jealous. He does not know why but he says something that would make anyone else laugh, but Robb merely nods and continues walking onward. He feels a sting there.

After their sparring session later on, Joffrey feels as though he has been reduced to nothing. Robb finds him then and presses him against the wall. "You might be the crown prince, but you never speak to someone like that in their own home. Did your mother never teach you that?"

"I…I…" Joffrey gasps, wondering why he had to send the Hound away. His embarrassment quickly returning.

"You are in my home, you little shit. And if you ever talk to me like that again, I will make sure you regret it." Robb snarled.

"I…I…" Joffrey stuttered, only for Robb to let him go. He slumped to the floor and Robb spat at him, before turning and walking away.

Joffrey stared at the ground, heat rushing to his cheeks. He wanted to cry, but he does not think that is the right thing to do. His breeches are uncomfortably tight and he does not understand why. His thoughts are interrupted by a voice. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I apologise for Robb."

Joffrey looked up, and saw himself looking at the bastard, Jon Snow, Eddard Stark's greatest disgrace. He thinks to spit in the boy's direction, how dare the bastard of Winterfell speak to him. Instead he asked. "What do you mean?"

The bastard sat down next to him and said. "Robb is not used to someone of a senior rank being here. He is not used to having to play second fiddle and he is not used to being shown up like that."

Joffrey is surprised, he had thought the bastard would support his brother. "You think I was in the right?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Robb was in the wrong, he has been in the wrong for sometime." Jon replied.

The bastard stood and helped Joffrey up. "I know what it is like to be hurt by Robb." The bastard said.

Joffrey nodded and then they walked and talked. Joffrey learned that the bastard had been bullied for a long time, and that Robb was not all he seemed. For some reason, Joffrey wanted to defend Robb, but as he spoke more to the bastard, he found that urge disappearing and the general desire to simply stay with the bastard remained. That night when he went to bed, he thought of Robb and Jon, and his night clothes became incredibly hard. He woke the next morning, his face flushed.

He spent the next few days with Jon, speaking about King's Landing and learning about Winterfell. Robb cornered him later and pinned him against the wall again. "Stay away from my brother, you hear me?" Robb snarled.

Joffrey cannot respond, does not respond. Robb leaves and Joffrey is left panting and breathing heavily, his heart thundering. He goes on the hunt and watched as Robb flexed and showed off, he felt his breeches grow hard again and he wondered why they kept doing that. When they return, Brandon Stark has fallen and things are thrown into chaos. He spent time with Sansa his betrothed, but spent more time with Jon, comforting the boy and making sure he knows that he is not alone. It is during one of those times that they kiss, soft and chaste and afterwards Jon whispered. "I liked it."

"I liked it too." Joffrey replied, and so they kiss again, but then they break apart and they leave it there.

Brandon Stark still has not woken up when they travel south and Joffrey and Jon kiss goodbye before in the darkened room of the old tower, broken as it is. Joffrey saw Robb staring at him as he got on his horse, his face flushed and he felt something else then. He rode away and that night, the first night they camped, he finally knew how to relieve himself. Jon and Robb are in his mind when he does so.

At Darry the damned Stark girl's direwolf bites him and he goes to Mother. There is a hunt for it, and nothing is found, Mother has Sansa's direwolf killed, though Joffrey protests against it, he is overruled the King's judgement has been passed. Sansa never looks at him again after that and he fades into obscurity. He received a letter from Robb, reminding him of what would happen should he stray, and he keeps it close. Reading it at night and sweating as he imagines Robb's hands over him like that.

They get to King's Landing and things carry on as normal, he attends lessons, gets lectured by Mother and spends time with Sansa. Sansa is dull, she speaks only of her dolls and her hopes and dreams. He wants to throttle her. He writes to Jon at Winterfell, and receives advise, and mainly other things that make him blush and twist and turn in his sheets at night.

The tourney of the hand comes and goes, and someone has gone after Brandon Stark. Joffrey knows nothing about it, but Mother shifts nervously, and Uncle Jaime grimaces. And he thinks he knows, but he says nothing. He writes to Jon and gets letters back and they make him smile. He writes to Robb and gets nothing. His heart hurts then, and he pushes that down.

Uncle Tyrion goes missing, and Grandfather invades the Riverlands, Uncle Jaime attacks Eddard Stark and everyone talks of war. Joffrey writes to Jon and gets a heartfelt message back, he feels as though he might cry. Robb writes back and says if he does anything, he will suffer for it. He keeps quiet and watches. Father and Eddard make up, and Jaime is still at large, Father goes off hunting and then Father comes back injured. Father dies and then Joffrey is King.

He summons the court and there listens to Eddard Stark call him a bastard, falseborn. He orders the man's arrest as Mother urges him to. He dismisses Ser Barristan as Mother urges him to. He writes to Jon and Jon writes back, Jon says he's doing the right thing, but that Stark would never lie. Joffrey does not know. He burns the letters after he reads them. Robb Stark is marching. Joffrey finally has his attention. He writes to Robb, begs him to stop fighting, to stop doing more damage that cannot be repaired. Robb ignores him, and Joffrey finds himself thinking about the boy with snow in his auburn hair, his cheeks red, and he finds his breeches becoming stiff again.

Littlefinger asks to meet with him and so he does. "Why won't the Starks stop their fighting?" He asks.

"Because they respect only strength. Robb Stark is as much his father's son as he is his mother's. He will not stop fighting until he respects you." Littlefinger says.

Joffrey nods and dismisses Littlefinger. How can he make brave, strong Robb, respect him? Word comes that his uncle is a prisoner, and he knows what he must do.

They are on the steps of Baelor, Joffrey gives a prepared speech, and then he thinks to himself, what is more powerful than this. "Ser Illyn bring me his head." The crowd roars, and Sansa screams, Eddard Stark's head rolls onto the steps.

It does not solve the problem, there is another King in the Kingdoms now. Robb Stark declares himself King in the North and Joffrey roars. Every time Robb wins a battle, he has Sansa beaten. Sansa is not a person, she is Robb. She does not deserve peace or rest. Every time the beating finishes, he feels bad, and he hides himself away. He writes to Jon but the responses come fewer and far in between and he fears this might have broken their friendship. He keeps writing, and still no response. And then Jon replies.

Jon arrives with uncle Jaime and a scar across his back and face, but he is the most beautiful thing Joffrey has ever seen. Mother celebrates with Uncle Jaime, and Joffrey, well Joffrey kisses Jon, he kisses him and kisses him and kisses him and later on they lie together and Joffrey whispers. "I thought I had lost you."

Jon places a hand over Joffrey's heart and replies. "You could never lose me."

Joffrey nods, and then they get on with life. Robb Stark continues to fight battles and win, Joffrey fights the Blackwater and defeats Stannis with help of the Tyrells, he breaks his betrothal to Sansa and betroths himself to Margaery. She is something else. Where Sansa was plain and boring, Margaery is exciting and dangerous.

"Jon Snow, what is he to you?" Margaery asks the first time they go walking through the Red Keep.

Joffrey tenses and whispers. "I do not know."

"Shall we make him ours?" She asks.

He has never had anyone to share anything with before, and so he says yes. They take it in turns, Jon Snow needs love, they give it to him, little touches, little words, Jon Snow needs guidance, they give it to him, hints and praises here and there. Joffrey finds himself falling for Margaery, Robb Stark is long forgotten. Word comes that Brandon and Rickon Stark are dead, and Jon cries, and that is when Joffrey places the collar around him. Jon is his now, not Robb's.

They work and work, and then as their wedding grows closer, Joffrey whispers to Margaery. "I love you."

"And I , you." She replies.

Robb Stark dies at his uncle's wedding, Jon does not say anything. Joffrey says nothing, but he stares at the wall. Robb Stark, so young and so beautiful, and so dead.

His wedding day arrives and he says the vows. Margaery looks beautiful. They drink and eat and kiss, and share love and romance. He is more happy than he has ever been before. Then the pie chokes him, he cannot breathe, he feels something inside him rot. Mother screams. He looks at Margaery and whispers. "I love you." He finds Jon and he smiles, he sees Robb and his breeches grow tight.


End file.
